House's Child
by da-super-dude
Summary: Inspired by House’s Head and Wilson’s Heart.House falls ill,only to wake up and discover his sixteen year old daughter in his apartment. Years before she’s even been concieved. ntains Huddy, jealous reactions, House-isms, hallucinations and other fun stuf
1. The Doctor's Daughter

House's Child

Disclaimer: I love House. I wish I owned House. But I don't. (sniffle)

Inspired by House's Head and Wilson's Heart. House falls ill, only to wake up and discover his sixteen year old daughter in his apartment. Years before she's even been conceived. Contains Huddy, jealous reactions and other fun stuff.

A/N: Starts off sludgy

-X-

It had been a while since Gregory House had been thankful for anything. Today was different. Today was a _Sunday_. That meant no work unless a patient came in. And heaven knew he needed a break. His leg had been acting up worse than usual. He'd begun taking thrice the amount of Vicodin he normally ingested. Every momentary respite from the pain was a relief. He sat there, drenched in sweat, his mind a feverish haze. He had a high fever in his estimation. He'd checked it that morning, but the memories were distant in his feverish delirium.

He rolled over on his warm bed. He didn't want to be there but was stuck out of pain and fatigue. The medicines he'd taken made him want to throw up. He was sure he must have. He'd remember when he'd tried to give up Vicodin. That had been hell. This was hell's big brother, and it was angry. His mind was active, trying to think up a cure. His body wouldn't hear of it. It wanted to curl up somewhere and die.

He turned and tossed as best he could; trying to avoid hurting his leg further. He finally maneuvered a position that wasn't too painful and not too sickening. As he lay there between wakefulness and slumber his mind hit upon something. An old Chinese remedy that might help.

He dragged himself out of bed. Grasping the wall best he could in his weak state. He fished an old box out and made the tea from the powders that lay inside. He drank the whole pot, gulping it down. Glad to be ingesting something. Somehow he made his way to the couch; where he collapsed. He groaned in pain as tremors shot up his leg. But all was forgotten as he fell into a deep tea-induced slumber.

MD

_H__e awoke to the sound of 'Smoke on the Water'. The chords bursting into his slumber forcing him awake. He'd barely slept. Now he found sunlight streaming in through the window in a room that looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on where he was. He pushed himself up noticing he wasn't weak and sweaty, but rather clean and showered. He was dressed in a black Led Zepplin t-shirt with a pair of faded grey pajama bottoms. He ran his hands over himself. His clothes were his. But where was he? _

_Being the__ brilliant diagnostician that he was, he decided to follow the source of the music, eventually tracing it to a room across his. He limped there with the aid of his cane which he'd found on the side of the bed. The door was already open. He just nudged it open a little wider to reveal a young girl with a pair of head phones on as she played HIS Flying V. He glared at her. It was as though she noticed him glaring at her back. She spun around to reveal a stunned expression. _

"_I'm SO sorry Dad. I didn't mean to. I thought I'd plugged it in." She said holding up the wire that was supposed to be plugged into her amp. She looked apologetic as she took off her headphones and rushed to give him a hug. "I swear I'll check next time. Crap. Mom's going to kill me. PLEASE don't tell her. She's evil. You said so yourself." She was pleading with him. _

_But nothing sunk into him. Did she just call him DAD? The D-word? Him? What? How? _

_He had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation. He sat down on her bed, holding his cane out in front of him as he pondered the possibilities of what was happening. He gazed around the room. It was adorned with posters; __favourite bands, movies, comics, etc. She seemed to have gotten his interest in all things pop culture related. He stopped himself. HE didn't have a child to which to impart any of this to. He didn't have a child that could have inherited his interest in all things pop culture related. He continued to study the room. It was decorated a bit like his apartment. The walls were a dark green with a solid wood bed. The mattress was quite firm he noticed. In front of him was a gigantic wall unit. It contained books, a study table, what looked like an advance version of the XBOX ELITE and a Plasma screen television He approved. Whoever this child was, she had style. _

_House focused his attention on the child. Not that you could call her a child. She struck a pose that seemed familiar, but on a young person such as this, looked quite . . . teenage. She had black hair that seemed to be waves or curls. Her build was slim and lithe. He studied her appearance. Black Chuck Taylors and a black pair of jeans. Her brown t-shirt said 'American Baby'._

"_Aren't you too old for that?" He asked, gesturing to the shirt. _

_She just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Daaad, you say that every time." _

_There is was. The D- word again. How was it possible that he had a child? Who had he knocked up? No one would want to have his spawn – as someone had once put it. That must have been Wilson. Not that he'd asked Wilson to carry his child. Not that he'd ask Wilson. Wilson would BEG for the opportunity to carry House's child. However, that tone definitely came from him. He mentally slapped himself. He didn't have a child. To be a dad there would have to be a . . . MOM. He frowned as a realization hit him. "Your mom." He said it plain and simple. _

"_Are you going to tell her?" she was sitting next to him on the bed, having put away HIS guitar._

"_Where is she?" House was really curious now. Which woman would even dream of . . . he checked his finger . . . being married to him? He continued looking at the floor. Hard wood. He approved. _

"_She's out of town, remember? She asked me to tell you to call her when you woke up. So I guess you'd better call her." Matter of fact and to the point. _

_He turned to face her and was surprised to find his own blue eyes gazing back. "You have my eyes . . ." _

"_Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "Everyone notices." She smiled at him. "So how are you feeling?"_

"_How am I feeling?" _

"_Yeah, you weren't too well today morning. You felt like crap. Remember?" His reply was a look of confusion. She frowned and placed her hand on his forehead. "Are you sure you're okay? You're forgetting things and you seem . . . I don't know, out of it." _

"_I'm a doctor. I'm fine." He grumbled brushing her small hands away. _

_His daughter smiled at him. "I know. Board. Certified. Diagnostician." She paused after each word. "How many times have you told us?" She stood up. "We better get you in bed. I don't want to get grounded. Piston's coming to town and I SO don't want to miss the concert because my dad was sick." _

"_I hear your compassion." He grumbled as she tugged him up. She chuckled at his words as she helped him back to his room. _

"_What year is this?"He asked, confused._

" _2023." _

_What? Just yesterday it had been 2008, and he didn't have a child. He looked confused. He glanced around the room looking for clues, his mind trying to focus and figure it out. But some sort of haze had settled and it wasn't helping him at all. He felt foggy, a head ache beginning to form. The girl –his daughter- helped him into bed and tucked him in. The last thing he remembered was her planting a kiss on his cheek as he drifted away. . . _

MD

House awoke once more. This time he was back in his apartment. And still not feeling all that good. His couch had left him sore. But he wasn't sure if that was from his stint on the couch or from his ailment. He really didn't want to know. He wanted sweet release. He wanted . . . as much as he hated to admit it, someone to take care of him. His tired eyes opened. He had to get to a phone. He moaned and attempted to sit up. He needed to get to a phone; call Wilson, maybe Cuddy. As he tried to reach out and grab the receiver, a voice stopped him.

"Woah. Stop. What do you think you're doing?"

House turned to find his daughter staring at him from across the room, a tray in her hands.

"Dad. You're in no condition to be on the phone." She placed the tray on the coffee table and took the phone away from his hands. He tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"I don't have a daughter." He managed to croak out.

She paused and stared at him. "Trust me, only family would deal with you as a patient." She did make a valid point. She picked up the tray and put it in his lap. "It's chicken noodle soup. Your favourite. I made it for you. Now drink up."

He just stared at her. She gazed back at him. "What do I have something on my face?" Her hand went up to her face, rubbing to see if there were any marks.

"I don't have a kid."

"Ouch. I try and take care of you and that is what you have to say?" She glared at him. But it didn't seem to be real anger. Not that he'd know. This was his first teenage child.

"I don't have a child." He was adamant. This was not real. There's no way this could be real.

"Dorothy, we aren't in Kansas any more." She said.

He stared at her. "What the hell was that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Me trying to make you laugh, or something . . . Listen, I know you don't have a kid. Well not yet anyway. We're back in 2008. Take a sip already. It's not going to kill you."

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know. You're the one that brought me back here. I checked the date. It's a while before I'm even conceived. But that's not the point. If you're dead I won't exist. So drink up." She gestured at the bowl in his lap. He finally conceded and started drinking it up, surprised it was real. He'd thought she was a figure of his imagination. He'd always been told he had a vivid imagination. _Cuddy naked . . . _He closed his eyes trying to force his thoughts into reality. He opened his eyes once more. No such luck. It was his daughter staring at him as though he'd lost it. Considering that she wasn't real, that made sense. Though he had to give her credit, the soup was pretty good, and he was starting to feel a bit better. He continued to drink in silence. When he was done, he set the tray and the bowl in it on the coffee table, and looked at her. She was dressed exactly how she had been in his dream.

"This place is a mess." She stated.

"I'll try and keep it neater next time I'm dying." He retorted.

"Oh please. I'm not even a doctor and I could tell you that you just had the flu. Nothing serious." She crossed the room to his single leather couch and flopped down on it. She picked up the guitar laying against it and strummed it. House glared at her. She didn't seem to notice. But the fact that she was able to make soup and lift his guitar proved that she was real. Right?

"Yes. All those years you didn't go to med school made you a real expert on that." House lay back, feeling better already. That soup had sort of done the trick. Not that he'd admit it to her.

"I'm related to you. I don't NEED med school." She smirked at him, knowing she'd won.

Teenage arrogance. He snorted. She had him good, sucking up to him so that he couldn't say anything. She was good. But she wasn't the MASTER. "Yeah. But I don't need to be related to me. I am ME. What were those words again?" He paused, pretending to be thinking. "Oh yeah. Board. Certified-"

"Diagnostician." She finished for him, with a smile. "I know. You may have mentioned it a couple of million times."

House frowned. He found it unnerving that every time he gazed at her he saw his eyes. Or that every time he spoke to her he heard his own sarcasm spill out. Also, she'd ruined his line. He glared at her.

"What?" She asked as though the matter was purely trivial.

"You ruined my line."

"So?" She focused her attention back to her guitar.

"You're grounded." He leapt to the first thing that sprang to his mind. She stared at him, agog.

"You don't have a kid. You can't ground me." She said, defiant. "Besides, who's going to take care of you? You seem to be having a bit of a problem there."

He glared at her once more. "A moment ago you were trying to convince me you were mine."

"That's because I am."

"Then why can't I ground you? I'm your father!"

"Because, what are you going to do, send me to my room? I don't have a room here! Besides, you know you want to observe me, analyse me, I'm your kid, here in the flesh, but I haven't even been born yet." She looked satisfied, and that was probably because she had a point.

"Ugghh." House groaned. He didn't feel that good again. He should call Wilson or Cuddy.

"And have them hold this above your head?" He rolled over slightly to see her staring at him. She was sitting back now with one leg tossed over the side of his chair.

"How did you-"

"You're kinda predictable dad." She stated it as a fact. "Well, to me at least." She added softly.

Maybe he did need her. "Fine. You can stay." He just knew she was probably smirking. Some things were just genetic.

MD

He awoke for the second time that day on his couch. He gazed around the room. The lights were off and the curtains drawn. It was probably night. He sat up. He didn't know if his daughter was here. He opened his mouth to call for her. House realised he didn't even know her name. But he had to check. Just to make sure he wasn't losing his mind. And to see if it that had been a weird dream.

"Kid? You here?" He called out.

"My name's Grace."

He could see her silhouette against the light in the kitchen. She was leaning on the doorway that lead to the kitchen. He couldn't make out the expression on her face. He winced as she switched the light on. She dimmed them.

"Feel any better?" She asked as she walked towards him.

"I don't feel like utter crap, if that's what you mean." He said moving his legs so that he was now sitting facing forward on his couch.

She sat on the arm of the couch, watching him. Her hair had been pulled back in to a pony tail.

"What kind of name is Grace?"

"Grandma picked it out." She said with a playful smirk. "It's what she'd have named you if you'd been a girl."

"No way." House looked at her with disbelief in his eyes.

"That's what she said." Grace smirked all the more.

"But why 'Grace'? Didn't your mom have any problems with that?" He hadn't thought of Grace's mother, preferring not to think about it.

"She actually loved the name. She liked the fact that I had your initials. Apparently she was pretty sure I was going to end up like you. Boy or Girl."

"Obviously because of my superior DNA." Grace watched as her father looked pleased with himself.

"No, because I kicked every time she told you to do clinic duty." House looked at Grace who said this with a twinkle in her eye.

House grinned at this. "That's my girl. Remind me to take you for ice cream or something."

House froze as he said this. He'd never reacted this way before. He stared in front of him, the proud smile he'd worn no longer on his face. He looked at Grace. Her smile seemed to have faded. She avoided his eyes as she got off the arm rest. "I have to finish dinner. Why don't you go take a shower? You need to freshen up. You stink. And not in the proverbial sense." He studied her face. She didn't seem to be hurt by his earlier reaction. Maybe she hadn't noticed. Who was he kidding? She was his kid. There was no way she missed it. He got off the couch and took his stick when she handed it to him. She walked into the kitchen without saying a word. He mentally kicked himself. It wasn't his fault she was offended. She couldn't be offended. She wasn't even born yet. She wasn't _allowed_ to be offended. Sides, he wasn't going to have a child. He didn't want a child. Grace probably wasn't his. But then he thought of her eyes. _His_ eyes. He shook his head. He didn't care. She was probably a figment of his imagination who would be gone tomorrow morning. With that, he headed into the shower.

MD

Grace stirred the pasta. It should take a few more minutes to cook. Her dad had been in the shower for half an hour now. She hoped he was okay. She nearly laughed. Of course he wasn't okay. His sixteen year old daughter just appeared in the past, before she was even conceived let alone born. He hadn't wanted a kid. And now he had one. He wasn't used to having a kid around. Not even _his_ kid. Her mom had told her this. He'd thought he had no intention of getting married, of having kids and settling down. But deep inside, it had been there. The moment she'd been born, he'd realised that. Of course, House didn't know that yet. So she'd have to cut him some slack.

She heard him come out of the shower.

"Dinner's ready!" She called as she took it off the stove. She served it up onto two plates and took it out into the living room, keeping one on the coffee table. She then went and flopped down on her chair. House hobbled in. He'd changed his clothes and was wearing something that hadn't been drenched in sweat. He looked clean and didn't smell any more.

"Pasta?" He questioned as he picked up the plate.

"You try cooking with the ingredients in your kitchen." She argued.

"That's why God invented 'take out'." House said matter-of-factly.

"You're sick. A home cooked meal is good for you."

They continued to eat in silence.

"Do you have a favourite band?" Grace asked House.

"Stones." He answered with his mouth full, aware that this was probably a bad example but she was sixteen, she could handle it.

Grace grinned at his answer.

"What?" He asked.

"I dated his grandson."

"Whose grandson?"

"Jagger's."

"Get out of here!" He stared at her, eyes wide.

"That's the same thing you said last time. I'm telling the truth." She was being perfectly honest.

"You said _dated_, as in past tense. What happened?" He wanted answers now.

"We broke up." She continued eating as though dating the great grandson of a Rolling Stone was an every day thing.

"I let you date?" House couldn't believe that he had. He'd let his sixteen year old daughter date? Wasn't she too young or something?

"You wanted me to marry him. You asked if he could bring the family over." Grace said with a smile.

"And did he?"

Grace shook her head. "Of course not, we only dated for a month."

"So what happened?" House felt like a twelve year old girl in search of gossip.

"They had to go on tour." She'd finished by now. She picked up both their plates, heading toward the kitchen.

"_They?" _

"Yeah, the Stones."

House got up and followed her as fast as he could.

"They're still alive?"

"You really think they're ever going to die?" She said with a smile as she started doing the dishes.

"You're telling me that the Rolling Stones are alive and well in the future." House leaned against his doorway as he watched Grace do the dishes.

"Alive, well and still rocking. You took me to a concert a few years back."

"We go to concerts?"

"Yeah, I'm the perfect excuse. What was it again? Oh yeah, 'you're educating me in the world of Rock and Roll'." She kept the last dish for drying.

She switched off the lights as they both exited.

House sat on his couch. "My daughter dated a stones great grandson . . . my _daughter_ . . ."

Grace looked at the time. "You better get to bed now. You're going to need your rest. You have work tomorrow."

At her words House looked at his clock. She was right. He looked at her sitting there in the same chair she'd occupied that afternoon. "Where are you going to sleep? If you do sleep."

"I'll take the couch." She said, gesturing to the couch. House nodded and got up. He limped over to his bedroom. But before he left her he turned around and said, "Grace, I'm really sorry."

Grace, who'd been fluffing up a cushion, looked up at him. "For what?"

"I farted."

-X-

A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I just couldn't resist that last line. It seemed very like House for some odd reason. The chapter wasn't even supposed to end like this. It's almost as though the story's taken on House's attitude and gone off and gotten a life of its own. Hopefully you guys like Grace, cos I LOVE her. She might just be my favourite character. One that I created anyway.  
Any who, please R/R.  
Thank you!


	2. Dr Who?

House's Child

Disclaimer: I love House. I wish I owned House. But I don't. (sniffle) However I do own Grace. Mwahahaha. I have Huddy's love child.

Inspired by House's Head and Wilson's Heart. House falls ill, only to wake up and discover his sixteen year old daughter in his apartment. Years before she's even been conceived. Contains Huddy, jealous reactions and other fun stuff.

A/N: Wow. First of all, thanks for the reviews. You will not believe the incredible high you get when you see that people like your work. Second of all, I'm so happy people love Grace as much as I do. She's a fun character to write. And thirdly, I was pretty happy with the last chapter's title, my own little homage to Dr Who, his wit and brilliance (the tenth doctor's anyway,) is as brilliant as House. Though they are two different styles, now before I ramble on, let me continue with my baby which is 'House's Child'.

-X-

House woke up in his bed the next day. Unlike the previous day, he no longer felt like crap, nor was he drenched in sweat. He checked his watch, a nifty little digital contraption that he'd received as a Christmas present from Wilson. Apparently it was 'House-proof', or so the oncologist said. The time read 8:30AM. It was Monday. He hated Mondays. He just wanted to flop back on his bed. He'd have been Garfield if he'd liked lasagne. That didn't matter at the moment. What mattered now was checking if Grace was around. He got out of bed and grabbed his walking stick which leaned on the side table. He needed Vicodin. He hobbled into the living room in search for both, his daughter and his medicine. Actually, the fact that he was interacting with his as-of-yet unborn child required medication. The more painkillers the better. The couch was empty when he came upon it. Grace was no longer there. Rather, the only signs that there had been someone there was the fact that his living room looked tidier. House himself had never been one for neatness, preferring his own brand of messiness. Maybe he'd been imagining the whole thing. There was no way yesterday had happened. It must have been some weird dream. A hallucination that was the by-product of that Chinese medication he'd taken. He sighed and walked toward the bathroom.

Just as he approached the door, it swung open. Grace stood there, her dark hair tied into a pony tail. She was wearing the same clothes she'd been wearing last night. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Oh good. You're up." She smiled and brushed past him. He stared after her. She certainly seemed flesh and blood. "Good morning dad," She reached up and gave him a hug and a kiss. She then turned and walked off as though it was nothing. House stood rooted to the spot. Had she just _kissed_ him? _Lovingly?_ His hand went up to the spot where her young lips had met his scruffy cheek. She definitely had. He had to talk to her. First she tidied up his room and now she was showing him affection. What was she up to? _Kids._ Now he knew what people meant when they said that. He shut the door and proceeded about his business. By the time he was done and had stepped out he found her on the couch that was slowly becoming her usual place to sit. She was sitting back, one leg draped over the arm rest, a bowl of cereal in her hands.

"I have cereal?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah. Somewhere in that barren desert you call a kitchen. Seriously, we need to go grocery shopping." She took a bite of her breakfast.

"You're planning on staying then?" House asked, standing in the centre of the living room.

"I guess," She didn't seem particularly worried about it. "It's not like there was any choice in coming here in the first place."

House nodded and limped over to where his sneakers were kept. He sat down on a chair nearby and proceeded to tie his laces.

"Aren't you going to have breakfast?" Grace was looking at him, amusement and surprise clearly on her face. She placed her now empty bowl in front of her, on the coffee table.

"Why?" shrugged House.

"It's the most important meal of the day. Didn't you learn that in med school?" She said as she leaned back in the chair.

"No. Must have skipped class that day." House said, returning to his shoes.

"Well, you better eat." Grace got up and picked up her bowl and headed to the kitchen.

"No." House said stubbornly. Since when did _she_ give _him_ orders?

Grace returned and glared at him as she leaned on the doorjamb.

"You're not setting a very good example." She simply stated.

"Was I meant to? You're a teenager, use your judgement skills." He returned her glare.

"I'm a teenager. We're not supposed to have good judgement skills." She smirked.

"It doesn't mean you're a complete dumbass now does it?" House smirked too. Oh yeah. He _so_ had here there.

Grace grinned and batted her eyelids. "I'm your daughter. There's no way I'm a dumbass."

House frowned. There was no way he could contradict that. "You've only got half my chromosomes. Hopefully your mother's genes won't corrupt that. You know, stupidity is contagious."

Grace rolled her eyes. "I won and you know it."

House just glared at her and grabbed his jacket and his keys. "Suck up. Are you coming or not?"

"Hell yeah!" She grinned and followed him out the door.

MD

Together, both father and daughter made their way to House's motorcycle.

"Sweet," said Grace as she ran her hand across the bike.

"You like bikes?" House asked as she checked it out.

"Yeah. You take me for rides all the time on your bike. I'm going to apply for my bikers licence next year." She got up and stepped away, frowning.

"What is it?" House asked.

"There's no extra helmet." She gestured to the one he held in his arms.

"We'll find you one." He gazed around the street hoping to find a spare helmet just lying there. Of course there was no such thing. He turned to look back at Grace and was surprised to see her putting on a red helmet. She smiled at him. "This is a lot like the one I had."

He nodded, confused, not really understanding where she'd gotten that helmet from. It looked just like his first helmet. Funny how he'd been thinking about that as he'd been searching for one. He was about to say something when his watch beeped. Time to annoy Cuddy. He knew she'd be in the lobby expecting him to swagger in about twenty minutes. Okay, maybe he didn't _swagger_ exactly. But he'd like to think that he did. He looked at Grace who looked like she'd been stifling a giggle. He glared at her. "What?" he asked; his voice a little gruffer than he'd wanted.

"You had this look on your face, like you were day-dreaming or something." She said. "You looked like a love-sick teenager. Were you thinking of mom?" She had a teasing smile on her face.

House sat on his motorcycle, putting on his helmet as he did so. He then strapped his cane to his back. "That reminds me," he said as he was in the process of strapping it. "Who is your mother?"

Grace put on her own helmet. All he could make out now was her eyes staring back at him. She thought he'd have guessed after her slip yesterday. Turns out he hadn't. He'd always been smart, but there were some things that even _he_ missed. "Sorry, can't tell you. Might alter my future. Besides, I like living. I find my existence very satisfying." She got on the motorcycle, wrapping her arms around his chest. House stiffened slightly under her grip. He wasn't used to being held like this. He'd never given anyone a ride on his bike. Except for Cuddy. Once, when they were in college and she'd been a freshman late for class. He smiled slightly at the memory. The sound of a car nearby starting pulled him out of his memory. He started the bike, and they set off for the hospital.

The ride there was a pleasant one. Grace was quiet, but he could feel the warmth emanating from her small figure as it gripped his bigger one. It seemed that she was in her own little world. So he'd gone into his. There had been a companionable silence as they'd sped through the streets. Fifteen minutes later they'd reached the hospital. House headed for his handicapped parking close to the doors of the hospital. He held the bike as Grace got off. He then put it off as he got off it. He got the kickstand out just as another car pulled into the parking lot. It parked in the space opposite them. Out jumped a little brown-haired girl with pig tails. She bounced excitedly. House watched as a tall man got out of the drivers seat. "Wait for Daddy sweetheart." The man had brown hair too. House recognised him as a doctor he'd seen in the clinic a couple of times. He continued to watch as the man locked the car and held out a hand to the little excited toddler. She responded by bounding up to him and grabbing it, a big smile on her face. The man saw them watching him and smiled and said, "Her mom's not feeling well, so I brought her to work." He then smiled at the little girl and proceeded to talk to her in that voice all parents used when talking to their young children. The two of them made their way to the hospital entrance.

"I wasn't like that was I?" asked House looking over to Grace who stared at the pair with an amused expression on her face.

"No. Thank God for that." Grace confirmed his feelings that she hadn't approved of the baby voice. But there was something about her that suggested that she'd remembered something.

"Did I bring you to the hospital?" House asked as they began walking towards the entrance.

"Yeah, it was a big part of your life. And I loved it here. We used to watch surgeries when I dropped by and you didn't have a patient." She smiled fondly at the memory.

"Good to know." His voice gruffer than he'd intended once more.

The doors opened automatically as they stepped into the building. House frowned. There was no familiar click of heels. There was no frowning face glaring daggers at him. Cuddy was no where to be found. Neither was Nurse Brenda for that matter. Satan and her right-hand minion were missing. That was cause for concern. But he'd look for them later. First things first, he had to get to his office. He made his way over to the elevator, checking back once to make sure Grace was with him. She was close behind. A look of wonder on her young face as she gazed around the familiar hospital.

The doors opened onto the floor his office was at. He headed towards it hoping no one was there as of yet. He didn't want to answer any questions about Grace as of yet.

No such luck. Kutner, Thirteen, Taub and Foreman were sitting at the glass table they normally sat at. Kutner was listening to his iPod as he played on his PSP. Thirteen was engrossed in a magazine, and Taub was reading what looked like very boring book. Foreman was doing paperwork. _His_ paperwork. He smirked at that. He went back to Kutner's PSP. He should check what games he had. He entered the room. He could feel Grace's presence near him. He decided he wouldn't say anything until they asked. She brushed past him and went over to the board as he headed to the coffee machine.

"No patients yet." Foreman announced.

"Thank you for the announcement Puff Daddy. I can see why you became a diagnostician. Your powers of observation are astounding." House replied, pouring himself a cup. "You want some?" he asked Grace.

"No thanks." She replied. She went back to examining the medical encyclopaedias that lay on a shelf near by.

"Um, I guess . . ." Foreman said, sounding confused.

"Guess? I know. A lot of your work is guesswork. Don't see how you became a doctor. Seems like they let anyone become doctors these days." House's tone was sharp and matter of fact. He saw Grace smile and laugh at that.

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

"Some things don't change." She said with a smile on her face.

"I thought you were going to give me coffee." Foreman said, slowly.

House turned to look at him. He noticed the other ducklings looking at him too. "Let me explain how this works. I'm the boss and you're my slave. I say 'jump' and you say 'how high?'. Capeesh?"

"Yeah, I guess . . ." Foreman looked at him confused.

"Go home, take a break. You aren't feeling well." House said after a few minutes. He could hear their necks snap as they turned to look at him. He looked at Foreman. "You don't look that good. I know it's hard to tell, since you always look like this, but I'm observant."

Foreman rolled his eyes. "I'm not going home House. You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"Do these words mean anything to you? Board. Certified. Diagnostician." House enunciated the last few words as though Foreman was deaf. He could hear Grace saying it along with him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her mouthing it; a big grin on her face. He almost grinned back. He caught himself just in time.

"House." Foreman just stared at him. House focused his attention back to Foreman.

"It was worth a try," House shrugged, leaning back on the counter.

The ducklings returned to whatever it was they were doing. House however, having finished his coffee, limped over to the door that led to his office. He could hear Grace follow him. He held the door open for her and then shut it.

"I don't think they notice me," She stated walking over and taking a seat on the couch.

"May be they don't like you. Did you force them to eat breakfast?" He used his stern voice. Grace just stared at him pointedly. "Okay," he conceded as he took a seat in his chair. "They didn't notice you. I'm the only one who can. What do we do about it?" He picked up his pink bouncy ball. It helped him think.

"I don't know. But maybe it means something. Maybe I was brought back here for a reason." Her eyes sparkled as she said it. There was a smile on her face. She was just anticipating the quest she was on.

"Someone's been watching too many movies." House said, continuing to throw and catch the ball repeatedly.

"That's only because you let me."

He stopped and looked at her. She looked back. "Okay, maybe that's not it. But until we figure out how I got here, I don't think I can go back." She stood up.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked seeing her walk towards the door.

"Exploring. Where else?" She pushed the door open.

"Exploring? I thought you grew up here."

"I did."

"Then why?" He put the ball down and hobbled towards her.

"I'm back seventeen years into the past. I want to see what changes." She was almost out the open door. House held the handle, preventing her from leaving.

"You're seventeen?"

"No. Sixteen."

"Well, what if something happens?"

"We don't know what will happen. Besides, I'll only be gone say, half an hour." She made it sound perfectly reasonable. He looked down at her. She seemed to be around five four, five five.

"Okay, but come back here as soon as you're done." She beamed at him.

"Sure thing dad." Then she did it again. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She then rushed off, excited to be exploring this new, familiar, yet different place. House stood there, his hand to his cheek once more. It was weird having someone like him like that. She didn't think he was a jerk. She didn't think that she had to fix him. She liked him the way he was. Oddly enough, he was getting used to this feeling. Just then he caught Foreman staring at him. He glared at the doctor. Foreman returned to his work. House then headed back into his office. Stepping away from the doorway where he'd been standing. He was half way to his desk when he heard the door open. He turned around to find Grace back there.

"Dad," she said, panting slightly.

"Yes?" he asked, curious as to why she'd come back.

"I'd like a change of clothes." He looked at her as though she'd grown another head when she said that.

"You want new clothes?"

"Yeah, I've been living in these for a day and I'd like new ones."

"You do realised no one can see you." He pointed out.

"Yes, but you can, and I _know_ I haven't changed my clothes. So please?" She looked up at him, pleadingly.

"How do you propose I get you clothes?" He asked.

"Well, last time, you just thought about getting me a helmet. And that seemed to work. So you just think about my clothes." She seemed to have it all figured out. Mentally, he took credit for that. Yet, the sureness with which she said it, the sense of control she had about her, as though she was in charge a lot, he didn't think that came from him. If she had an ego, he'd know she was his.

"What clothes do you want?" House realised he knew absolutely nothing about teenage girls or what they liked to wear. Maybe scrubs or something . . .

He looked at her to see her clothed in light blue scrubs. She wore a navy long sleeved shirt underneath. She looked up frowning at him. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, blue jeans, the skinny kind. And a dark green t-shirt, like this one, saying 'Jaded' in white on it." She seemed to know exactly what she wanted.

House closed his eyes and pictured her wearing it. He opened his eyes to find Grace wearing the clothes he'd pictured. She smiled. "Not bad." She headed for the door once more. "Thanks again dad. Be right back!" She winked as she pushed the door open with her backside and slipped out. He turned around and headed for his seat. He needed Vicodin. And to play with his PSP. He just hoped it had charged.

MD

After what seemed like ten minutes House heard his door open again. "If you want new shoes, come back after twenty minutes. You said you'd be gone half an hour. Instead you keep coming back." He said, not looking up.

"If I was interested in new shoes, I wouldn't come to you. You have bad taste." House looked up at the feminine voice to see Lisa Cuddy frowning at him. Her hands were crossed across her chest and she was in that familiar pose she used when ordering House about.

"Now now Cuddles, you know you've always loved my taste. That's why you keep coming back." He smiled innocently and batted his eyelids at her. Her frown just deepened. "What is it?" He asked, curious. She hadn't ordered him about yet. Something was up. She looked at him and said, "I need to see you in my office. Now." With that she turned to walk away.

"I've always dreamed of you saying those words. I just never pictured it like this." He said smirking. He was on top of his game today. He saw her almost pause to retort but was disappointed when he saw her continue to walk towards the door. He continued to stare at her behind till she left his view entirely. Whatever had her panties in a twist definitely had him interested. Of course, her panties had him interested as well. He swung his feet down, from where they were, up on the table. He might as well start moving to Cuddy's office. He wanted a good seat. One that allowed him full view of her, but was also close enough to the exit. That way he could beat a hasty getaway. As he was leaving he remembered Grace. He limped back to his desk and scribbled a note for her telling her to wait there once she got back and not move. He mentioned that he was at Cuddy's office because of a meeting and that he would meet her back in his office as soon as he was done. He estimated that would be fifteen minutes. Give or take a minute, he never could predict when Cuddy reacted to him. He then made his way to her office. Or as he lovingly thought of it, Satan's den.

MD

It turned out that Wilson and the ducklings were already there when House entered the office. Cuddy was standing behind her desk. Close to the desk, and Cuddy, was a strange young man. House had never seen him before. He frowned at this new development. He also noticed that there was only one seat available. In the centre, next to Kutner. He glared and limped over to the seat. Thirteen shut the door behind him.

"Now that we're all here I can begin," Cuddy started. She looked at House, expecting him to say something. When he didn't, she continued. "The Board feels that we are spending way too much money on a department that has only one main doctor. Therefore, they want us to hire another doctor for the department. Someone who can see other patients while House treats the patients he has. That way we can treat more patients. So I'd like to introduce Dr Mark Spencer." She gestured towards the stranger. Dr Mark Spencer.

"No way." House said, objecting loudly. "He's barely twelve. There's no way he's joining the department. I got these three like you said. And then you gave me chocolate bear over here," he said pointing at Foreman. "What more do you want?"

"This wasn't me House. This was the Board. They voted for this. There wasn't much I could do." Cuddy gazed at him. One pair of determined blue eyes met another. They engaged in a staring contest. In the end, House won. He always won. "You allowed this?" He turned to face Wilson.

"They outvoted us House." The oncologist defended himself. "Besides, he has good credentials."

"How many years have you been practicing?" House turned his attention onto Dr Spencer. To his credit, the young man was able to answer under the harsh gaze he was being subjected to by House.

"Four."

"I've been doing this for twenty years. I know what I'm doing. You barely have the experience these three have. Plastic surgeon, sports medicine and general practitioners." He waved his arms at the ducklings and Foreman.

"I know enough, I studied, and now I'm practicing. I've diagnosed like about fifteen patients and they've all survived." Spencer replied.

"Well, when you say it like _that_, like, I'm totally convinced." House said in his stereotypical blonde cheerleader accent.

"House." Cuddy said, her tone warning him.

"What? The Board wants to do this, fine. But I propose a challenge for them. The next patient that comes in here, the first one to diagnose him correctly wins and gets to keep their job here. The loser, has to leave." House's tone was final.

"I accept." Spencer said, making eye contact with House.

"I don't think . . ." Cuddy trailed off when she met House's eyes. He was serious. She saw the ducklings exchanged looks. She looked at Wilson, who'd mostly been silent during this exchange. They both knew House wouldn't listen to them. So why bother?

"Fine." Cuddy said, "It's official. I'll inform the Board and have legal draw up the paperwork."

"You can't be serious." Foreman protested.

"There's no changing his mind." She replied. Foreman looked down. She was right.

"But it's not fair." Spencer protested.

"He has a whole team. I don't." He looked at Cuddy.

"House's team are under him for learning purposes. This is a teaching hospital. But I will see what I can do."

"Oh boo hoo," House mocked. "You can have Taub and Foreman."

Cuddy glared at him as both men protested. "You can't just give members of your team way. That means they would lose their jobs if Spencer were to lose."

"Fine then. You can have Foreman." House seemed pleased with himself.

Cuddy glared at him. "Nice try, but none of your team is going anywhere. Personally, I think its best if you work alone Dr Spencer, it would help prove to the board that you are a good diagnostician. House only got his team after fifteen years of working here." She then looked at House's team and dismissed them, wanting to talk to only House and Dr Spencer. She kept Wilson as back up.

"It's only been twenty years? My how the time has flown by," House mocked leaning back in his seat as his team exited. "We're only five away from turning silver Cuddles," he said. "I hope you got me something that matches my eyes." He then stood up and left the room. Not giving her much of a chance to reply.

He walked out to find Grace leaning back on the nurse's station. "What was that about?" she asked.

"I thought I told you to wait in my office." He walked over to her.

"You did, but when do you really follow orders?" She asked walking towards the office, trying to look through the glass windows in the door.

"Never. But what does that have to do with anything?" He watched her try to catch a glimpse.

"You're my role model. Remember?" She smiled at him and then returned to spying. He'd left Cuddy in there with Wilson and Dr Spencer.

"Who's the jackass?" She asked, without looking at House.

"Mind your language." She shot him a look. "The jackass is a Dr Mark Spencer. The Board wanted to hire another diagnostician. So they hired this pre-pubescent thing."

"What did you say?" She said, watching Cuddy shake Dr Spencer's hand, obviously welcoming him to Princeton-Plainsborough.

"I challenged him to a duel." She didn't even move or question him. She just continued to watch. Obviously she was used to his ways. So he continued, "A true test of our powers. Man Vs Man. Best doctor gets to keep his job. The other leaves."

"You could lose you know. There is that off chance." She backed away and turned to face him.

"I _never_ lose." House said, walking away. He could hear Grace behind him.

"That's what you said last time, and then I beat you." He stopped and turned around looking at her.

"Liar."

"I'm telling the truth. We play XBOX all the time. I tend to what was the word . . . oh yeah . . . _clobber_ you." He watched her smirk cockily.

"You're lying. I'm a Playstation man."

"Yeah, you used to be. But then you converted." They began walking towards the elevator.

"Why?" He said as they stopped, waiting for one to come to their floor.

"You're looking at her." He gazed at her proud smile. She couldn't be lying could she? First he has a child and then he converts to the XBOX? No way she was right.

"I don't like the XBOX."

"Are you kidding me? You call it your 'baby' every time we take it out." She said. Just then the elevator arrived and they both entered once the crowd of nurses and relatives who'd been inside exited.

"Are you sure that's not me but you?" The door shut with a 'bing'.

"Oh yeah . . . it was me." She grinned up at him. He rolled his eyes. "Don't scare me like that." The elevator 'binged'again, signalling they'd arrived at their floor. They then walked out of the elevator and towards House's office.

"Aren't you worried you might lose?" she asked as they entered his office. The team were in the other room talking amongst themselves. She'd come back to her earlier point.

"I clearly don't. I still worked here in your future, right?" He seemed sure of himself as he fished out his PSP and turned it on.

"I don't know, you never mentioned anything about this. Maybe you've changed the future somehow." She crossed her legs on the chair, watching him play. "You got any other console?" He handed her his Nintendo DS. She switched in on. "Wow this is an old model."

"I didn't change the future. I wouldn't have had any other reaction. Therefore in my own unpredictability, I am predictable." He smiled proudly as he said it. That was a gem of wisdom right there.

Grace just raised an eyebrow. Teenagers. They never appreciated wisdom. He frowned and went back to his game.

MD

It was past two o'clock in the afternoon and they'd still not had any patient. So far they'd played video games, watched General Hospital, generally ignored the team and avoided Cuddy. Most of that had been before lunch. They'd just gotten back from the cafeteria when Wilson came into House's office.

"We need to talk." Wilson said, standing in the middle of the office, his hands on his hips. It was a typical Wilson pose.

"If I've told you once I've told you before, we're broken up. Stop coming back to me. You look pathetic." House said in his sarcastic tone.

"House." He rubbed his mouth and paced a bit. He seemed to be trying to organize what he wanted to tell the stubborn doctor. "You've done stupid stuff. But this is the stupidest one of all." Wilson said, finally coming up with something to say.

"Did Cuddy send you here for this?" House was now seated in his chair. He didn't seem to care what anyone thought.

"No. _I _came here for this. This is a huge risk you've taken. Your team's jobs hang in the balance too. It's not just you House."

"I tried talking to him too." Grace said, coming to stand next to Wilson. Her arms were folded across a chest just as his were. Wilson didn't seem to notice anything.

"Don't take his side." House scolded her, a little annoyed she wasn't on his side.

Wilson gave him a weird look. "House. You better win this. I didn't want to hire Spencer as much as Cuddy did, but we had no choice. Why can't you accept this? I thought you'd be happy someone else was there to do your work. You hate treating patients anyway."

"No. I don't like seeing patients. I have no problem treating them. However, the ones at the clinic are all idiots. The good cases are the ones I get. It's MY department and they are MY cases. I don't want to share." House looked like a little kid whose toys had been taken away. He hadn't wanted to tell them why he didn't want Spencer involved. Sometimes it was a curse being this brilliant, being able to figure it all out easily. None of the ordinary cases held any interest for him. It was only when he was diagnosing the confusing cases he got that his brain got to exercise. It was only then he was truly able to spread his intellectual wings. He turned to face them. Wilson looked at him like one would look at a stubborn young child. Grace looked at him sympathetically, as though she understood what was going on.

"Don't look at me like that." He said. There was no way she'd understand.

"Like what?" Wilson asked. "House, you better head towards the clinic. At least do _some_ work today."

"Come on dad, it'll be fun. I want to see you in action." Grace seemed excited at the prospect.

"Fine." House looked from her to Wilson and grumbled to himself. He'd been channel-surfing. There was nothing good on. He got up.

Wilson stared at him, his eyes wide with surprise, "You're listening to me? For real? House are you okay?" He seemed visibly taken aback.

"I've treated patients before." House stated as they left the room.

Scratching his head, Wilson turned to face the team who'd been looking at him expectantly. They were right. House _was_ acting strange.

-X-

A/N: The usual: Please Read and Review.

It would mean the world to me. It would also give me that little added boost to update faster : haha. But OMG. Just saw the promo for season 5. I miss them SO much. I don't think I'll last till that episode. Go watch it now (after reviewing my story of course :P)! I just want to say once more that I'm glad that you guys like Grace. And I know the ending of this chapter wasn't that great. I just couldn't stop writing, the scenarios for the two of them just kept building up. There's a little more Cuddy peeping out in Grace in this chapter I guess. But I like her House side better. Anyway, enough of me jibber-jabbering. I'm just stopping you guys from the reviews (I think I'm addicted to that high) looking forward to reading anything you guys write.


End file.
